One, the village of Kirknewton, is mostly thrilled at the prospect of a new wind farm, which stands to deliver many millions - but which cannot be seen from there because it is five miles away. Then there is the other, the people living near to the site, some of whom may not only see the turbines, but hear them, and who are mostly not happy at all. A ballot has shown they are 95% against.

The PUC approved the initial site permit for a 301 megawatt project in 2010, but the amended request reduces the nameplate capacity to 200 megawatts. Additionally, the PUC's recent decision allows Pleasant Valley to switch from a combination of 1.5 MW and 2.3 MW General Electric turbines to a uniform layout of 2.0 MW Vestas, which are 328 feet tall with a rotor diameter of 328 feet. The GE turbines had the same rotor diameter, but the towers stood 262 feet tall.

Work is underway at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to reposition solar panels on the roof of an airport parking garage, a $1.9 million correction that keeps glare from the solar panels out of the eyes of air-traffic controllers. Shortly after the panels were installed in the summer of 2012, air traffic controllers started complaining about early-morning glare from the panels.

First Wind announced Thursday that the Kahuku Wind project on the North Shore of Oahu is back online at full capacity. Following a battery facility fire that suspended operations in August of 2012, First Wind worked with Hawaiian Electric Company and other experts to bring the Kahuku project back to its full capacity of 30 megawatts.

A $1.5 billion wind farm south-west of Ardrossan on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia has been approved. ...The Heartland Farmers group says the wind farm will hurt agricultural land particularly given the area is more densely populated than other wind farm sites. Its Chairperson Naomi Bittner says it's not satisfied the project meets planning guidelines and is surprised it's been approved.

More than 100 supporters and opponents of what would be the state’s largest and most expensive wind project presented their views Wednesday night in a public hearing called by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. They spoke of noise and light pollution, quality-of-life issues, the economic benefits of wind power and the partnership of private land owners and business.

A wind farm overlooking Bury could double in size, if plans are given the green light. Peel Energy and United Utilities have announced a joint venture to expand Scout Moor Wind Farm and install an extra 26 wind turbines within the existing wind farm and in an area to the north of the site.

Weather-driven surges of German solar and wind power may lead to higher costs for Austria as its grid is forced to take measures to avoid breaking down, a Austrian energy regulator said, calling for a region-wide solution to excess flows. Austria already must deal with a constant unwanted supply of 2,000 megawatts of power from northern Germany that flows into its grid via Poland and the Czech Republic.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has begun investigating how to assess the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife at a national scale.The first step in understanding the impact of wind energy development is to determine where the wind turbines are located. Prior to this study, there was no publicly available national-level data set of wind turbines. There were maps that showed turbines locations in a few states, and there were national-level maps that showed wind power facilities, but not individual turbines, or information about those turbines, such as height, blade length, or energy producing capacity.

Jeff Messenger of Messenger Limited Partnership, LLC temporarily withdrew his request to the Garrett County Planning Commission to amend the Deep Creek watershed zoning ordinance to allow a wind farm in the rural resource zoning district, according to Bill DeVore, zoning administrator. The public hearing on the amendment that was scheduled for March 5 has been canceled.

The developer of the proposed Grandpa’s Knob Windpark in Rutland County has canceled easement agreements with surrounding landowners. The developer, Reunion Power, sent letters to the towns of Pittsford and West Rutland last week saying it had terminated access agreements with property owners. The two towns are located on the east side of the proposed 20-turbine, 50 megawatt project to span Pittsford Ridge.

Opponents of the wind development project, however, say the letter’s “only the facts” tone is not what they expect from community leaders. “The question becomes is it fair to allow some innocent citizens to be subjected to significant quality of life and homestead property value loss for the gain of neighboring land owners …” Zanesfield activist Tom Stacy wrote in reply to the letter.

Concerns with the safety of the Buckeye Wind Project and the process by which it was approved were among the chief issues raised by opponents before the Ohio Supreme Court. Champaign County prosecutors and members of Union Neighbors United filed arguments recently with the Ohio Supreme Court, one of the final steps in deciding whether the controversial wind project can move forward. Combined with an earlier first phase, the project could include a total of about 100 turbines spread spread throughout six townships.

A court date has been set for Suncor Energy's lawsuit against the Town of Plympton-Wyoming and its wind turbine bylaws. It's the first court date scheduled for the lawsuit Suncor launched a year ago to challenge town bylaws aimed at wind energy projects.

After months of behind-the-scenes arm-twisting, Oregon legislators gave their initial blessing to a compromise bill that lets small, publicly owned electric utilities off the hook – temporarily -- for required investments in renewable energy projects. PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric initially didn't like that option, as it sets up a two-tiered system for compliance with state mandates and potentially puts them at a disadvantage in attracting energy intensive new customers. But they forced a quid pro quo in the bargain.

Wyoming residents enjoy the cheapest electricity prices in the nation, thanks to low-cost power from coal-fired plants near vast surface mines in the Powder River Basin. California, which has all but phased out coal power and has the nation's most aggressive renewable energy laws, has close to the highest prices, according to U.S. Energy Department data.

Although state Department of Public Utilities officials have said the guidelines will be voluntary, critics of wind turbines located near residential properties say they believe the recommendations eventually will become rules. Gov. Deval Patrick has set a goal of 2,000 megawatts of wind energy in Massachusetts by 2020, with most of that coming from offshore.

Suzlon agreed in 2009 to finance the project's debt despite the fact that Big Sky didn't have a long-term contract to sell its power at a price that would have ensured its costs would be covered. Project loans by turbine manufacturers aren't unheard of, but they typically are made when there's a long-term power purchase contract in place.

Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL), India’s second-biggest wind-turbine maker, expects as early as next week to gain an extension on $209 million of defaulted debt, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

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